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Man convicted in 2000 Newark murder linked by DNA to cold case homicide in Florida

Roland "Rollie" Davis was arrested and charged in the death of 86-year-old Elizabeth Sheeler, who was found dead inside her Newark home in July of 2000.
Credit: (Image Courtesy: Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation and Correction)

NEWARK, Ohio — The DNA of a man convicted in a 20-year-old Newark murder investigation has been matched to evidence in a 1990 homicide in Florida, according to Newark police.

Roland "Rollie" Davis was arrested and charged in the death of 86-year-old Elizabeth Sheeler, who was found dead inside her Newark home in July of 2000.

Police connected Davis to Sheeler's death through DNA, as well as other evidence. He was convicted and is serving a sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution.

Newark police were recently contacted by the Charlotte County (FL) Cold Case Unit, after detectives there reopened the case of 42-year-old Sharon Gill, who was found murdered inside her home.

Florida detectives told police in Newark that they found Davis' DNA on evidence in the case.

According to police, Davis, who was 37 years old at the time, had been working and living in Florida in 1990.

Police said Davis traveled between Ohio and Florida between 1970 and 1994.

If anyone has any information on Davis' whereabouts during that time, they are asked to call Newark Police at 740-670-7928 or Licking County Crime Stoppers at 740-349-6888.

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